Outdoor activities have become increasingly popular and many of these activities take the form of picnics or days at the beach. On these outings, seating equipment such as chairs or loungers are typically not supplied. Therefore, it is usually necessary to bring personal folding chairs and loungers to the site. In addition to chairs, it is also frequently necessary to transport various other items, such as coolers, blankets, umbrellas, surfboards, tents, grills, cooking equipment, and the like from a vehicle to the site, such as a campground, picnic area, or the beach. The carrying of the various items including the portable seating and lounge devices may require several people or several trips between the car and the beach. Some of the items, such as a cooler full of beverages and ice, can be of considerable weight and can be stressful as well as hazardous for an individual to tote for a long distance. Commonly available foldable chairs and beach loungers are commonly available made out of lightweight aluminum tubular frames having a fabric covering which can be folded for storage or for transportation to an outing location. It has also been suggested to provide foldable chairs and lounges with wheels so that they can be rolled to different locations. These wheeled chairs or lounges can be used for carrying a cooler or other item(s) thereon.
An example of a typical wheeled foldable chair is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,905 as a combination chair and cart. A two-wheeled vehicle is made to collapse into a retracted position and converts between a two wheeled cart and a chair. It allows one portion of the frame to be used for a handle when used as a cart. U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,347 describes a wheeled chair which can be mobilized by attaching a pair of wheels mounted to an axle to the legs of the chair and then using the chair back for a handle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,308 describes a combination portable chair and container which has a single roller assembly for rolling the chair and container thereon. The chair converts to a rolling container with sides that can be folded into a compact position for storage.
Wheeled chaise lounges are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,547, which describes a lounge chair assembly made convertible by a wheel assembly which clamps onto the lounge chair frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,142 provides for a combination beach caddie and beach chair which has a single roller assembly attached to the frame of a chair in such a manner that a portion of the frame can be used for a handle for pushing the beach chair on the roller. U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,777 describes a combination chaise lounge and tote cart. U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,807 describes a combination beach chair and wheelbarrow apparatus which has a single wheel connected to the frame of a beach chair and also allows the frame of the beach chair to act as a handle for pushing the beach chair on the wheel when used as a wheelbarrow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,804 provides for a folding lounge chair and cart which has a pair of wheels attached to the frame of a folding lounge chair and allows the lounge chair to be extended in a straight position and, when turned over to act as a hand truck. Additionally, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,993 is a convertible beach tote cart which uses a single roller on one end of the framework while the other end of the framework of the lounge chair can be used as a handle to push the tote cart.
Examples of folding chairs or folding lounges that have also been wheeled for a combination of utilities include those described in: U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,112, which teaches a wheel assembly for a combination folding chair and cart; U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,054, which teaches a chaise lounge; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,804, which teaches a folding lounge chair and cart, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,592, which teaches a combination folding lounge chair and wagon. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,262 describes a camp chair that converts to a hand truck. Additional disclosures relating to beach carts can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,615 and U.S. Design Pat. No. D367,347. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, Applicant has identified a number of deficiencies and problems with prior outdoor chairs and carts. Applicant has developed a solution that is embodied by the present invention, which is described in detail below.